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COPY MY CHONGQING ITINERARY: China’s famous Cyberpunk City

Chongqing, China. The newly famous Cyberpunk City. I’ve been dying to visit since it went viral a year or 2 ago. So I decided after coming back from the coldest place on earth (Oymyakon, Russia – DM to join me next year!) that I would hop over with Jaa and Aidan.

If, like me, you’ve seen those crazy photos online of stacked highways, neon skyscrapers disappearing into fog, trains driving through apartment buildings and bridges crossing giant rivers, that’s Chongqing. It’s chaotic, futuristic, beautiful and slightly confusing all at once. It seemed that no-one had heard of it, then all of a sudden everyone had! Which is crazy, considering it’s home to OVER 30 MILLION PEOPLE! wtf?!

Anyway, we recently took a quick family city break here from Bangkok with Jaa, baby Aidan and both my mum and Jaa’s parents. Originally it was meant to be just the three of us, but we decided to bring the parents too. And to be honest that turned out to be one of the nicest parts of the trip. It’s a blessing to be able to show them places they probably wouldn’t otherwise get to see.

Logistics for us getting there

Direct flights from Bangkok were about $300 return (Hainan Airlines – crap but fine). Airasia also fly but Hainan included bags and the times were better.

Our Accommodation in Chongqing

We stayed at Ascott Raffles, which was honestly PERFECT. Great location, great price, and we had a 3-bed / 3-bath apartment which worked brilliantly for a family trip. I’ll talk more about the accommodation below because it was one of the best things about our trip.

My trip concept

If you’re planning a visit and want a relaxed, family-friendly plan, this is exactly what we did. You can literally copy my Chongqing itinerary and have a great trip. It’s a slower pace (due to babies and parents!) but to be honest, I prefer slower pace trips when I’m with my family anyone. It’s fast enough to see and experience stuff, but still slow enough to work, workout and recharge.

Also, I made a list of 20 things to see in Chongqing before I came and then decided which ones to skip and which ones to ensure we did. You can see my 20 things to see in Chongqing at the bottom too if you want to squeeze in more stuff to add to my Chongqing Itinerary.

Chongqing (and China) Tips

• You need at least three days, ideally four if you want to move at a nice pace. Chongqing is a huge city, but most of the main sights are surprisingly close together.
• Location in Chongqing matters a lot, especially with kids or people who can’t walk too much. The city is built vertically and getting around can be confusing. Staying somewhere central makes everything easier. For us, Ascott Raffles was literally perfect.
• Alipay and WeChat are non-negotiable. Download and verify both before you go and add multiple cards. You basically don’t need cash in China anymore.
• And use Didi (Chinese Uber/Grab) inside Alipay. I booked luxury people carriers for five adults and our baby for the whole trip and spent less than $150 total on transport. Felt like Jay-Z for pennies.

Now let’s get into the actual Chongqing itinerary.

My Chongqing Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival and Hongyadong

Our Chongqing itinerary started pretty gently. We flew in from Bangkok and headed straight to the hotel to check in. One thing about traveling with a baby and parents is that you don’t rush things. Lazy starts, relaxed afternoons, and good dinners are the goal.

Once we were settled, we headed out for a sunset walk by Hongyadong. Hongyadong is THE MOST famous sight in Chongqing. It’s a huge multi-level complex built into the side of a cliff along the river, designed to look like traditional stilt houses stacked on top of each other. At night it lights up and honestly looks like something from a Blade Runner movie.

We wandered along the river, soaking up the skyline and watching the lights come on across the bridges. Dinner was simple Chinese food by the water. Nothing fancy. Just sitting near river, eating local dishes and looking back at the glowing bridge and skyline.

It was the perfect start to our Chongqing itinerary.

Day 2: Liziba Station, Ciqikou Old City and Kuixinglou

Day two of the Chongqing itinerary started the same way most mornings did.

Brekkie at the hotel, a quick gym session for me, and then time in the kids playroom at Ascott Raffles, which is genuinely brilliant if you’re traveling with children. It’s one of the reasons the hotel worked so well for us.

Our first stop of the day was the famous Liziba Station, where the metro train literally runs through a residential building. It’s one of the most bizarre and iconic things in Chongqing. Tourists gather on the viewing platform below to watch the train disappear into the building and pop out the other side. It sounds silly, but it’s actually pretty cool.

After Liziba we headed to Ciqikou Old City. Ciqikou feels like stepping back in time. Ancient streets, traditional buildings, and endless food stalls selling everything from noodles to grilled meat to the infamous moldy tofu.

We wandered around the narrow streets, snacking on local food and enjoying the chaos.

Next stop on our Chongqing itinerary was Kuixinglou Square. This place messes with your brain. You walk onto what looks like a normal city square at street level, but then you walk to the edge and realise you’re actually standing on top of a skyscraper. The ground suddenly drops away dozens of floors below you. Only in Chongqing.

From there we walked home via Jiefangbei Pedestrian Street, the main shopping area in the city. On the way we passed the epic art gallery building, which looks like a futuristic glass cube rising out of the street.

By the time we got back to the hotel we were ready for a quiet evening.

Day 3: Louhan Temple, Miracle Street and the River Cruise

Day three of the Chongqing itinerary followed the same relaxed routine. Brekkie, gym, kids playroom.

Then we headed out to Louhan Temple, right in the middle of the city. It’s an old Buddhist temple surrounded by modern skyscrapers, which perfectly sums up Chongqing. Ancient culture sitting right inside a futuristic mega-city. After that we walked to Miracle Street for lunch.

This area has loads of restaurants and food spots, so we grabbed a table and enjoyed a relaxed meal. Jaa went shopping while I sat drinking a Guinness, which felt like a fair trade.

Later that evening we did one of the best things in the Chongqing itinerary: a boat cruise along the river. Seeing Chongqing from the water at night is incredible. The bridges light up, the skyscrapers glow, and the whole city feels like something out of a cyberpunk movie.

After the cruise we headed up to the rooftop bar at the Intercontinental Hotel. Little travel hack: you can grab cocktails here instead of buying tickets for the observation deck, and the view is basically the same. Cocktails with Jaa overlooking the neon skyline of Chongqing. Not bad.

Day 4: Running the Bridge, Longmenhao and the Drone Show

Day four was probably my favourite day of the Chongqing itinerary. After breakfast I went for a 6km run across one of the famous bridges and along the Shancheng (Mountain City) Footpath.

Running in Chongqing is wild. Bridges, tunnels, staircases, cliffside paths. The whole city is vertical. Later we headed to Longmenhao Old Street, which is a beautifully restored historic area overlooking the river. Perfect place for lunch and coffee.

We spent the afternoon wandering around shops before meeting my mum for cocktails.

Then came the big event of the night: the Chongqing drone show at 20:30. Thousands of drones rise into the sky and create huge moving patterns above the city skyline. Honestly one of the best drone shows in the world. We watched it from the viewing platform at Ascott Raffles, which turned out to be a perfect vantage point.

Afterwards we headed down to Chaotianmen Square, where the ancient gates sit right beside the modern skyline. We grabbed drinks at the Starbucks bar and just enjoyed the atmosphere.

That wrapped up the final evening of our Chongqing itinerary.

Day 5: Back to Thailand

Day five was simple.

8am flight back to Thailand.

Lunch in Thailand by midday.

Perfect.

Where We Stayed

A quick word about accommodation because it really matters in Chongqing. Lots of Instagram-famous hotels here look amazing in photos but are actually pretty average in real life. For our Chongqing itinerary, Ascott Raffles was perfect. One-bed apartments start just over $100, and our three-bedroom / three-bathroom apartment was about $300 a night for five people. That’s about $60 per person, which is incredible value.

Location

The location of Ascott Raffles City Chongqing is honestly the biggest reason I’d recommend it. It sits directly inside the huge Raffles City Chongqing complex at Chaotianmen Square, right where the Yangtze and Jialing Rivers meet. That means you’re basically in the absolute center of everything. You can walk to Hongyadong, Jiefangbei Pedestrian Street, Kuixinglou Square, and most of the key downtown sights without needing taxis. Even better, the building sits above a huge shopping mall and metro station, so transport and food are ridiculously easy. For a Chongqing itinerary, this location makes life simple.

Price

For the quality and location, the price is excellent. One-bedroom suites are just over $120 per night, which is a great deal for a modern serviced apartment in such a prime part of the city. If you’re traveling with family or a group, it gets even better value. Our three-bedroom, three-bathroom apartment was around $300 per night. For five adults and a baby, that worked out to about $60 per person, which is crazy cheap considering the space, skyline views, and facilities. Compared with many Instagram-famous boutique hotels in Chongqing that look good in photos but are actually quite average, this place is genuinely good value.

Facilities

The facilities are one of the reasons the property works so well for families. There’s a proper gym, indoor pool, kids playroom, and lounge areas, so it feels more like living in a luxury apartment building than staying in a hotel. The kids playroom was especially useful traveling with Aidan, because it meant we could start mornings slowly while he burned some energy. Breakfast is served in a large dining area with plenty of options, and the building itself connects directly into the Raffles City mall, which means restaurants, cafés, supermarkets, and transport are all downstairs.

Rooms

The rooms are spacious, modern serviced apartments rather than standard hotel rooms. Even the one-bedroom suites have a proper living room, kitchen, washing machine, and lots of space, which makes longer stays comfortable.

Our three-bedroom apartment was huge: separate bedrooms, three bathrooms, a full living area, and floor-to-ceiling windows looking over the river and skyline. For a family trip, having separate rooms and bathrooms makes a massive difference. It felt more like a luxury apartment than a hotel stay, which is exactly what you want when you’re following a relaxed Chongqing itinerary with kids. 3 bed and 3 bath was such a treat.

The master in our apartment views WERE AMAZING! So epic to come home to each evening.

What We Missed

Even though this Chongqing itinerary covers a lot, there are still plenty of places nearby worth visiting.

The big nature trips around Chongqing look incredible, including:

• Wulong Karst National Geological Park
• Wuling Mountain Great Rift Valley
• Jingangbei Ancient Village
• Black Mountain Valley

But these are long day trips, often 7am to 7pm excursions, and we had zero desire to do that on this trip. This was a semi-luxury city break, not a hardcore sightseeing mission.

So that, combined with hotpot with a view. Chongqing is obviously best at night, but we have a young baby. I would have done dinner and drinks at the far side of the city, looking back at the skyline at night, had we not brought our family. So do that if you’re childless!

FAQ

How many days do you need in Chongqing?

For a relaxed trip like this Chongqing itinerary, you should spend at least three days, ideally four. That gives you enough time to see the main sights without rushing.

Is Chongqing good with kids?

Yes. Our Chongqing itinerary with kids worked really well because the city has plenty of interesting sights that don’t require long travel days. Having a family-friendly hotel like Ascott Raffles also helped a lot.

Do you need cash in Chongqing?

Not really. For this Chongqing itinerary, we basically used Alipay and WeChat Pay for everything. Cash is rarely needed.

Is Chongqing expensive?

Not particularly. Flights from Bangkok were about $300 return, and accommodation like Ascott Raffles offers excellent value for families.

Is Chongqing worth visiting?

Absolutely. If you want something different from the typical Chinese tourist cities, this Chongqing itinerary shows how fun the city can be. The skyline, the bridges, the river views and the strange vertical layout make it one of the most unique cities in the world.

30 things to see in Chongqing

I wrote a kind-of exhaustive list of stuff to see in Chongqing, and then worked back from there. This was my list:

1. Hongyadong – the iconic cliffside complex that lights up like a cyberpunk movie at night.
2. Liziba Station – the metro train that literally drives through an apartment building.
3. Jiefangbei Pedestrian Street – Chongqing’s main downtown shopping and nightlife area.
4. Chaotianmen Square – huge riverside plaza where the Yangtze and Jialing Rivers meet. Very cool at night.
5. Yangtze River Cableway – cable car crossing the river with great city views.
6. Kuixinglou Square – looks like street level but you’re actually on top of a skyscraper.
7. Ciqikou Ancient Town – old streets, traditional food stalls and local snacks.
8. Shancheng (Mountain City) Footpath – historic walking trail through steep old Chongqing.
9. Longmenhao Old Street – restored historic district with cafés and skyline views.
10. Nanshan One Tree Viewpoint – the classic panoramic view over the entire skyline.
11. Eling Park – hilltop park with one of the best skyline viewpoints in the city.
12. Chongqing Grand Theatre Plaza – great night view looking back toward Hongyadong.
13. Luohan Temple – peaceful Buddhist temple in the middle of the skyscrapers.
14. Raffles City Chongqing – futuristic mega complex with the horizontal skyscraper “skybridge.”
15. Chongqing Art Museum – modern art building right near the city center.
16. Bayi Road Food Street – the best place to try Chongqing street food.
17. Nanbin Road – riverside promenade with skyline views and restaurants.
18. Qiansimen Bridge – famous bridge with incredible night skyline views.
19. Chongqing River Cruise – night boat ride to see the city lights from the water.
20. Chongqing Drone Show – massive drone light show over the river and skyline.
21. TestBed 2 Creative Park (Huangjueping) – abandoned factory turned art district with murals and galleries.
22. Huguang Guild Hall – historic merchant guild complex right by the river.
23. Hong’en Temple Forest Park – hilltop pagoda with huge panoramic city views.
24. Shibati Old Street – rebuilt historic quarter near Jiefangbei with terraces overlooking the city.
25. Nanshan Botanical Garden – big green escape on the mountain above the city.
26. E’ling Second Factory Cultural Park – industrial complex turned hip café and photo area.
27. Nanbin Road skyline walk – best place to photograph the skyline across the river.
28. Ride Metro Line 2 through the hills – treat the metro like a sightseeing train.